


Exit Alexandria: The Escape of Shane

by TheWalkingDeadNegative



Category: The Walking Dead (Comics), The Walking Dead (TV), The Walking Dead (Video Games), The Walking Dead: Negative
Genre: Alexandria Safe-Zone, Alternate Universe - The Walking Dead Fusion, Gen, Inspired by The Walking Dead, The Walking Dead References
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-31
Updated: 2016-08-31
Packaged: 2018-07-18 02:04:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7295053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWalkingDeadNegative/pseuds/TheWalkingDeadNegative
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if Shane, Philip, and Henry left Alexandria before  Rick got back?</p><p>Shane Walsh managed to survive Rick's attack back in Georgia, but Rick is far from happy that his "old friend" arrived in Alexandria with guests. While Rick is off trying to deal with a massive hoard of walkers in a quarry a few miles north of Alexandria, Shane and his group escapes. However Shane and his group don't make it too far before than run into the fists of Negan.</p><p>My first 1 off fanfic. I hope you all enjoyed.</p><p> </p><p>This fanfic occurs during "The Walking Dead: -6" but it explores the possibilities when Shane, Philip and Henry exit Alexandria... However threats aren't far away, they encounter walkers that talk?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Cover Art

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Worked really hard on this one.


	2. Chapter 2

This fanfic occurs during "The Walking Dead: -6" but it explores the possibilities when Shane, Philip and Henry exit Alexandria... However threats aren't far away, they encounter walkers that talk?

 

  
  
  
  
**The Walking Dead: Negative, Timeline Explanation:** The purpose of this timeline is to help readers understand where AMC's The Walking Dead and the The Walking Dead: Negative's timeline's intersect. It is designed to guide new readers who may or may not have already read The Return of Shane: Vol 1-3.It is encouraged that everyone read The Return of Shane: Vol especially since new characters were added during that series. Contrary to popular belief, time has not really moved quickly in The Walking Dead, mainly because as of **Season 6** , Judith still can't walk or talk. At most, only two years has passed since Lori's death.  
  


Essentially all I'm trying to say with this page is:

**PREVIOUSLY ON THE WALKING DEAD.....**

** 2013 **

** **

\--- Events of The Walking Dead, Season **1.**

| - Rick's group escapes the CDC.

|- Events of The Walking Dead, Season **2.**

** **

| - Rick's group meet Hershel and the **Greene Family.**

| - Episode - **Better Angels** (Shane and Rick face off).

| - Events of **Return Of Shane Vol** **1** (Shane survives).

| --- Shane meets **Phillip** and **Austin Marco.**

** **

| --- Events of **The Walking Dead** , Season **2, Finale** .

| - Events of **Return Of Shane Vol 2** (Shane returns to the Farm).

|--- Events of **The Walking Dead** , Season **3.**

|--- **Lori** gives birth to **Judith** and dies **.**

** **

|--- Events of **Return Of Shane Vol** **3.**

| - Rick's group repel **The Governor** from the prison.

** 2014 **

| - Shane's Group meets the **Rockwell Family** at K-Mart.

| --- Events of **The Walking Dead** , Season **4.**

| - The Prison is overrun, Rick's group divides.

| - Rick's group and Abraham's group make it to **Terminus**.

 

** 2015 **

\--- Events of The Walking Dead, Season **5.**

| - Nancy Rockwell becomes pregnant by Shane. Stu and Jacob are killed.

| - Rick's group meets Aaron.

| - Rick's group arrives at Alexandria.

| - Rick kills Pete and is reunites with Morgan.

|- Austin and Nancy are both killed, Phillip is now the de facto leader.

| - Shane is shot by Saviors.

| - Events of The Walking Dead, Season **-6** / Events of The Walking Dead, Season **6**

| - Carol, Daryl, Aaron, Shane, Phillip, and Carl kill the wolves, Shane and his group leave Alexandria. **< <<You are ****HERE**

 

****


	3. On The Road, Again

Setting: This is an alternative universe. Phillip decided not to help Dr. Denise and immediately fled Alexandria before the Walkers made it to the gates. Shane, Henry and Phillip are inside the military vehicle the PYTHON and are heading west on a Virginia highway.

Shane is sitting shotgun next to Phillip, and Henry is sitting in the first row of passenger seats. Henry is sitting in close proximity to the men, so he can be involved in the conversation.

"I'm not leaving my daughter, Phillip. I didn't even get to _see_ her!" Shane's voice was coarse and his saliva collided with the windshield.

"First off, say it _don't_ spray," Phillip replied with a rather monotone voice, his eyes were still focused on the road, only seeing Shane's gross behavior in his peripheral. "Secondly—"

"I don't need you to list shit for me, asshole!" Shane angrily retorted. Shane had no patience for any of Phillip's cutesy, sarcastic bullshit.

" _Secondly..._ " Phillip resumed, "we're not exactly leaving. Not just yet. We're relocating to less hostile territory. That place was being attacked!"

Shane slammed his fist against the dashboard. "That's _EXACTLY_ why I need to be there!" The crash of Shane's fist sent a shock through Henry, but was mostly ignored by Phillip.

"We're going thirty _eighteen miles out._ We're going to come back, Shane," Phillip said, taking his eyes off the road. "And I don't think we have to worry about those people that attacked Alexandria. They didn't even have guns. Most likely they were just scavengers who fucked up royally when they attacked that community.

"Shane, I know you want to see your daughter, and we will. But we can't stay there. It would only be a matter of time until Rick tried something. And not just him, that entire community. We put roots down close to the Alexandria and then we wait."

"Wait for what?" asked Henry.

"Just until tomorrow. We're just regrouping, and we can't regroup in enemy territory."

Phillip understood how important Judith was to Shane, and they would return to Alexandria. But Phillip couldn't sleep knowing Rick was in the building.

"We're going back, Shane. I promised," Phillip said, breaking his gaze on the road to lock eyes with his friend. "We're not giving up. We're not running. We're regrouping, that all."

"Whoa!" Henry exclaimed, and Phillip's eyes refocused on the road.

The road was darkened by shadows of the looming night with only a crimson glow from the setting sun still visible. But blocking that one-way road was a gang of men. The men varied in age and race, but they all dressed in biker garb. They blocked the road, holding large automatic weaponry, waiting for their victims.

***

"Someone has a biker fetish," Phillip said as he slowly hit his breaks, causing the Humvee to come to a halt.

Phillip counted roughly twenty bodies, all armed. Phillip's knee-jerk reaction was to place the vehicle in reverse, but that prompted a hailstorm of bullets from the Saviors. The bullets caused numerous cracks in the windshield, but the reinforced glass stayed together.

"Go, go, go!" screamed Shane as Phillip attempted to pivot the large vehicle so it could escape the attack.

But the Saviors hopped on their bikes  and began to chase the PYTHON, now firing their handguns.

"Who the hell are _these_ people?" asked Shane.

"I don't know, but I'm starting to think Virginia isn't very safe," Phillip stated. "We got to get these cum stains off our tail. Its only a matter of time before they shoot out something important."

The Saviors had secretly tailed the PYTHON for miles and had already placed a large semi-trailer two miles away south on the one-way highway. Shane, Phillip and Henry were boxed in. Even though the PYTHON was a powerful vehicle, they neither had the time nor the resources to tow the large semi that was also armed with Saviors. They were waiting, brandishing their weapons, firing them gaily in the air.

"No more running, Phil," Shane declared. "We're going to have to have to fight our way out."

Phillip inhaled slowly. "I know. I'm just trying to figure out the best way."

"I guess talking to them is out of the question?" Henry nervously joked.

"I'll ' _talk_ ' to ‛em alright," promised Shane,   his M-16. "You ready for this?"

"This is not the Alamo," Phillip chastised. "We do this the smart way."


	4. "Nobody's Savior"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Negan's men are after Shane and his group... Who will survive.

Phillip sharply pivoted the vehicle again, changing the direction, and began to plow right into the oncoming motorcycles. The sound of scraping metal and crushing bone echoed through the Virginia forest. Henry and Shane opened their windows and sprayed the oncoming Saviors with unforgiving bullets. The bullets hit their targets with precision as Phillip continued to plow through the Saviors with the Humvee.

The rubber tires skidded against the flesh of the Saviors, and Phillip continued to mercilessly crush them. By doubling back and smashing through the oncoming bikers, they recreated a hole in the wall that was originally created by the Saviors. They continued down the road at top speed. 

***

 

Phillip had just wanted to go eighteen miles out, but due to the intervention of the Saviors, his plan was remixed. The men decided to hang their hats at an old Victorian home, deeper within the city of Alexandria. There Phillip made an astute discovery.

"For what had been a rather populous city, there aren't that many Walkers."

"What the fuck do you mean, man? You can't go two miles without running into one," Shane retorted.

"Have you ever been to DC?" queried Phillip. Phillip knew Shane lacked a little culture. "This place should be littered with those things. Something is either drawing them away or killing them."

***

Shane watched Phillip and Henry from afar. Henry gently tickled the guitar inside of the large living room of the abandoned Virginia farm home. The young men had lucked out when finding somewhere safe to hang their hats.

Shane smoked his hand-rolled cigarette; however, he kept one eye focused on a sliver of visibility through the living room window that was covered by curtains. The room was obscured mostly by shadows, but was meekly lit by a small lamp that was positioned between Henry and Phillip, who sat Indian style across from each other.

Phillip and Henry had a connection, very different from the connection Shane and Phillip shared. Henry, unlike Shane, didn't lust for blood. Henry, though not afraid to take a life to save his friends, didn't bask in it. Shane and Phillip did.

Henry cared about enjoying life, and even though the world may have ended, he wouldn't let himself be faded out by the despotism of the world. He found a kindred spirit in Phillip. Underneath Phillip Marco's blasé, rough exterior lay the spirit of an artist. Gentle, insecure, and creative.

"Phillip, let's hear some tunes!" Henry said, playing a few cords on the guitar.

"Not exactly in the mood," Phillip said. "Not feeling really musical."  
  


"You said it yourself. Music can help you through _any_ heartache," Henry countered. "So are you full of shit or what?"

"He's full of shit!" Shane playfully called out from the corner.

"He may have a point," Phillip playfully layered.

"Come on, _man_. Give me a little of that **old** ‛90s flow," Henry said, joining in the joke.

" _Old_?" retorted Phillip. "I'm only twenty-eight, son!"

"Like I said: _old_." Phillip playfully punched Henry; however, even with a playful punch, Henry still felt the seriousness of the blow. "Jeez, man! Watch that wrecking ball fist. Now I definitely deserve a song after that act of child abuse."

"Agreed, but pass me the guitar. Looks like you only know how to play instruments if they're inside of a computer program," teased Phillip.

Phillip fixed his posture, taking in a small breath and closed his eyes.

"Ooh, he's getting in the mood," taunted Henry.

Phillip quickly opened his eyes. "You're shitting on the moment."

Henry apologized through a snorting laugh as Phillip re-centered himself. Music had always been a coping skill for Phillip.

Phillip played a dark tune on the guitar, switching from G to G Major, setting the tone in the already gloomy room. "In my _eyes_ , _indisposed_... In disguises no one knows... Hides the face, lies the snake... The sun in my disgrace... Boiling heat, summer _stench_... 'Neath the black the sky looks dead... Call my name through the cream... And I'll hear you scream again..."

Phillip opened his eyes, giving a quick smirk, wondering if anyone else knew the song he was singing. Shane knew; however, the younger Millennial Henry  hadn't been born just yet when that song had topped the charts.

Phillip continued, "Black hole sun, won't ya come... And wash away the rain..."

The crispness of Phillip's voice was so enthralling. Henry understood why Phillip had sang professionally. Henry, let the music sink into his skin. He could see the colors of the music blasting in beautiful shades of blue. Henry smiled, gently as Phillip continued to croon.

Shane jovially lit his lighter in tribute to the grunge hit "Black Hole Sun," which was a personal favorite of his.

"Very appropriate, Phil," Shane said under his breath, his smirk hidden by the shadows of the night.

In the darkness of night, outside of the abandoned Victorian home, Shane heard the rattling of cans. Before the men had entered, they'd put up a perimeter alarm around the home consisting of string and cans to warn them of additional unwelcomed guests.

Shane sucked his teeth at the sight of the male Walker whose face was rotted and burnt by the sun. Shane knew if one would show up making noise, it would attract others.

"Can't we just have a good moment, just one?" Shane said aloud.

"Something's going on out there," Phillip said, abruptly stopping in the middle of the second verse.

"Hey, why did you stop?" Henry whined.

"Nothing. Just a Walker—one," answered Shane as he looked out the window.

"I should probably pipe down," said Phillip. "Last thing we need is _X Factor_ going on in here."

"But man, I really liked that song!" exclaimed Henry. "Can't you just finish?"

"Negative," replied Phillip. "Last thing we need is more. One out there groaning won't be a big deal, but we should probably keep quiet."

"Look, I'll make you a deal," Henry bargained with a youthful smile. "I'll take out the one Walker out there, and you finish the song. Then we can go back to being miserable."

"Have you been paying attention to the lyrics, kid?" asked Shane. "Phillip is literally singing the number one song on someone's suicide playlist."

Henry shrugged. "It felt like how I feel inside. It felt like it was a song about me."

Phillip smiled. He knew that feeling, that lust for music. That was their connection, the true love for music. The connection to the emotions behind it, from the snare of the drums to the strike of an electric guitar. Phillip and Henry understood the true beauty of music, and if they _had_ to live in a world were the dead walked, Phillip and Henry would enjoy the last fruits of humanity: music.

"Okay," Phillip conceded. "No guns."

Henry scoffed with a youthful cockiness. "I got this, Phil."

Through the darkness, Shane and Phillip still could connect eyes. "Shane, go with him."

"You heard the, man," Shane said, folding his arms. "He's got this."

Hearing Shane call him a man swelled Henry's heart with pride.

"BRB," declared Henry, grabbing his flashlight and his machete.

He wore a camo hood and dark jeans. His curly dark hair caught a misty gust of the night air. However, the air was fouled by the scent of the Walker.

"Pee- _fucking_ -yew, bro," Henry said as he approached the Walker.

With one crushing strike of his blade, he ended the reanimated man. Henry looked into his eyes, dead and gray due to the transformation. This man had probably been someone's father. Someone had loved him. Someone had counted on him.

Death was the only absolute. It was the only thing that was promised, and Henry understood that at a _very_ young age. Whoever this man was didn't matter anymore. He was dead.

But then thoughts of his father Stu and brother entered his mind. He smiled at thoughts of his sister Nancy, who he adored. Just because people died, it didn't mean that who they were didn't matter. It wasn't how you died. It was how you lived. And you would live on in the souls of the people who loved you.

"Damn..." Henry said.

It had just dawned on him. The truth about life and death at fourteen. Through the darkness of the night, a screeching whistled rippled through the air. It wasn't a bird. It wasn't a horn. It was something _else._ The screech sounded like multiple whistles all blaring at once.


	5. "Black whole Son"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I'm not scared..."

_What the hell?_ Henry thought.

Two explosive shots rang out. Shane and Phillip's ears perked, both men grabbing their handguns and darting outside as the whistle still echoed in the night.

"Henry!" the two men call out as they raced outside of the house.

The darkness of night was cut by the headlights of motorcycles, and in a moment, Shane and Phillip realized they were outnumbered and out gunned.

Shane pointed his gun aggressively at the line of Saviors, who held assault rifles. Phillip, however, dropped his machine pistol to the ground when he discovered Henry's slumped body.

"No, no, no, no..." Phillip whimpered under his breath.

"Why don't you join your pussy friend over there and drop the gun, douche bag?" one of the Saviors said to Shane.

"Please, Shane, it's over," Phillip said. "They killed Henry. Just give them what they want."

"We only needed to kill _one_ of you. Let's not make this a massacre," the Savior replied. "You killed six of our guys back there. That man's life is no better than the six of ours you took."

"He was only fourteen!" Shane spat back angrily.

"I don't give a shit. He looks like he's forty-one," the Savior said, cocking the hammer of his handgun and stepping forward intimidatingly towards Shane. The wall of Saviors were way too much for even Shane to challenge. "Put down you gun before I put you down."

Shane craned back his wrist, removing the Savior from his crosshairs and dropping his gun. _Phillip better have a fucking plan_.

Phillip didn't. This was his surrender. He wasn't willing to fight anymore. He was ready to accept his death. He was ready for his fate.

"What do you want?" asked Phillip.

"Your shit, of course," the lead Savior said. "All of it, including that little ride you got there. The Humvee, we want it."

"It's very complicated, the vehicle. It's not a Barbie Jeep," Phillip replied, rather sarcastically. He may be about to be murdered, but he was still a catty bitch.

"Barbie Jeep, that's really funny."

The lead Savior wasn't amused. His dark flannel was muddied, and his jeans were ripped. He was one of Negan's foot soldiers. It was a hard life, and he would be damned if was going to take shit from this guy.

"I bet I just need _one_ of you to drive this thing. So you tell me, how about I pop your little skinhead friend here?"

" _NO!_ " Phillip desperately exclaimed. "Nobody else. I'll show you. I'll show you how to drive it. It just has passcodes, that's it. I'll tell you everything. Just let us go."

Shane had never heard such a level of desperation in Phillip's voice. Now Shane was scared, too. _Is it going to end here?_ , he wondered.

"Good, boy," the lead Savior said to Phillip. "Show me." The Savior focused his attention on his other nine Saviors. "You six, come with me. Who knows what's inside of this thing. You three, stick with him. He even farts you, swiss cheese his ass!"

As the two men approached the black tarp-covered PYTHON Humvee, Phillip's thoughts were still with Henry. Phillip remembered when he, Shane and his late husband Austin met Henry and the Rockwells. Phillip was touched by the closeness of the family. Henry had been the last surviving member of his family.

Phillip was dulled by heartache. He cooperated with Saviors, casually explaining to them how to work the PYTHON. In the background, Phillip could hear Buster the dog barking angrily inside of the Victorian home, blocked by the door.

"That's a loud fucking pooch," the lead Savior said. "He keeps it up, he's going to draw the 'dead ones' to us. I would hate to have go all 'Old Yeller' on your little mutt."

They could kill Shane and Phillip, but he wouldn't allow them to kill the last member of _his_ family, that spirit from Phillip's past. Before the Walkers, before all the death, there was Buster, Phillip, Cameron and Austin. These Saviors threatened to kill off Phillip's entire family in one night. They'd already taken one of his family members.

Out of the corner of his eye, Phillip could see the abandoned Smirnoff vodka bottle. It was Austin's. His drinking had increased prior to his death. Phillip was in autopilot. He couldn't control his limbs, hypnotized by his own surrender. But then God, or whoever, stepped in.

Two shots rang out outside of the PYTHON. The firing distracted the Savior who hovered over Phillip, and lead the Savior near the Humvee.

 _NOW!_ This was the opportunity that Phillip had been waiting for. Phillip quickly grabbed the vodka bottle and smashed it across the face the lead Savior. The alcohol blinded the leader with the sheer force of the blow. Using the same momentum, Phillip stabbed the second closest Savior in the throat with the jagged glass.

With a quick kick, Phillip opened the the passenger door and rolled out of the vehicle as the remaining Saviors began to fire into the vehicle. Bullets poured into the vehicle as Phillip ducked for cover. He noticed that due to all the firing, the bottom of the PYTHON began to smoke. The vehicle was going to blow. The only question was when.

Phillip only had one weapon left. A grenade had rolled out of the vehicle during the tussle. Phillip knew what he needed to do to survive. He had to give up a piece of his past and embrace this new future. Phillip quickly removed the pin and rolled the grenade under the vehicle. He then rolled quickly away from the vehicle, as the Saviors continued to fire bullets into the PYTHON.

A blast rang out,  . Phillip continued to duck, trying to avoid the flying metal pieces of the destroyed Humvee. When he turned around, he could see the Humvee, somewhat intact, smoldering with flames. Any Saviors near the vehicle were dead or close to it.

Phillip quickly ran over to Shane and Henry. Shane cradled the boy's head. "I'm proud of you, Kid." Near Henry's hand lay Phillip's discarded machine handgun.

"I f-f-f-f-f-figured y-y-you needed help," Henry began to croak out, blood collecting at the corner of his mouth.

Phillip, a man of many words, was speechless. His heart melted into his bloodstream as he watched his friend deteriorate in front of him.

"S-s-s-sorry, Phil."

Phillip joined Shane and held Henry's hand. Phillip could sense Henry's life fading from his body. Two holes in the boy's chest still oozed with blood. Shane and Phillip could see the Walkers emerging from the darkness, lurching towards the area. Both Shane and Phillip looked at each other. Both knew what was going to happened next.

"I'm not scared. I'm not scared. I'm... I... I..." Henry's blue eyes began to fade into the death.

Both Shane and Phillip winced in pain at the sight of the boy's demise. The Walkers were approaching. They couldn't mourn too long for their friend.

"We gotta go, Phillip."

Shane quickly ran his hand against Henry's face, closing the teen's eyes. With his right hand, Shane dove his blade in the back of Henry's head, ensuring he would not reanimate.

"We gotta go, Phil," Shane said through shallow tears, rising to his feet. There were at least twenty Walkers, and they were only yards away.

"It's not fair, Shane," moaned Phillip, while Shane's hand still held Henry's face. "It's not fair." Phillip retrieved his handgun then placed a kiss on Henry's forehead. "You're my hero, kid. I'll never forget you."


	6. "One Down, Two to Go."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Saviors find their targets and make them pay...

 

Phillip joined Shane and darted inside the home. They couldn't stay there. Between the explosion and the gunfire, they were sure more would be there. And even if more of the dead did not appear, they couldn't stay at that house. Henry's blood was spilled there.

***

 

Phillip was silent. He walked in a trance-like state, keeping a few feet ahead of Shane.

"Phil," Shane called out, but Phillip continued his march, ignoring Shane's words.

Phillip's level of distress had reached an apex that Shane feared Phillip may not be able to return from. Buster followed closely behind Phillip, who held his sparsely packed knapsack as the two trekked through the forest.

"Phil," Shane called again, but Phillip kept marching towards the North Star.

He "knew" it would lead them to "freedom." The dewy air smelled crisp as storm clouds moved in. Shane knew they would need to find shelter soon. He didn't have time for Phillip's melodramatic behavior. He was hurting too, but he handled it better.

" _Phillip!_ " Shane exclaimed, finally grabbing Phillip's left shoulder.

Phillip sharply spun and blocked the grab by using a quick jujitsu wrist twist.

"Let's keep our hands to ourselves," Phillip replied, with a darkness in his voice that Shane had never heard before. Phillip's once vibrant hazel eyes had flickered out into a vacant dimness. Phillip sharply released Shane from the grip. "Why are you even still here, Shane?"

Shane's eyes narrowed. "What the hell does that mean?"

"There's no PYTHON to hide in. There's no shelter. No Austin, no Nancy, no Henry. So tell me, Mr. Walsh, why the hell are you still following me around?"

Shane saw what Phillip was trying to do. He was trying to push him away so he could vanish out into the wilderness to die just like Austin and his son Cameron. Shane wouldn't allow Phillip to succumb to the same fate his family had. Shane refused to lose anyone else.

"Do you hear yourself, man?" Shane scoffed back. "Austin would be embarrassed of how much of a coward you are."

"What did you say to me?" Phillip's eyes intensified as he stepped closer to Shane's bubble.

Shane wanted that very reaction. He needed that fire to return to Phillip. If it didn't, they would surely die.

"Look at you, ready to give up because things are getting tough. Is that what you're really about? Without all your toys, you're nothing but a fucking candy ass."

Phillip stepped closer, inches from Shane's face. His flesh burned with anger and his blood pumped with ire, but his face remained soft and unbothered.

Shane could still read Phillip. He knew under that outwardly cool surface lay a hurricane within. Shane knew the buttons to push just as Phillip knew where Shane's triggers were hidden. Shane figured that Phillip would probably punch him in the gut, and the two would fight. They did that often, "sparing."

But Phillip did something Shane wasn't expecting. Instead of engaging Shane like he usually would, after meeting Shane nose to nose, Phillip merely walked right past him. It was as if Shane was a vapor. Phillip gave him nothing more.

Phillip wasn't in the mood. He wasn't in the mood for anything. He just wanted to lay down and die, peacefully.

"What would Austin think?" Shane asked, still using Phillip's husband's ghost as a tool.

"He doesn't want shit—he's _dead_ ," retorted Phillip, who continued to walk away from Shane, deeper into the forest. Phillip was done with the world. Unfortunately, the world wasn't done with him.

Shane was still on his heels when he ran into a small cluster of Walkers.

"I'm not in the mood today," declared Phillip.

But the Walkers lacked the cognitive skills to head the warning. They immediately pounced.

"I _SAID_ I'm not in the mood today!" Phillip said before unholstering Henry's machete and slashing through the Walkers.

Shane caught up with Phillip and also began attacking the Walkers. Using his fireman's axe, he smashed through the brains of the Walkers. The small cluster began to grow, and Shane decided it was time for the two of them to retreat.

"There are too many. We gotta go."

"I got this!" Phillip said, still hacking away at the dead, not losing a drop of endurance.

If he was going down, he was going down fighting. Buster assisted Phillip by knocking down the Walkers and applying his brute strength to their throats. Phillip would finish them by using his boots to stomp in the heads. Shane had a more pragmatic approach. Fighting in the middle of the forest with the dead was a foolish move. Phillip kept slashing, smashing the faces of the lurching Walkers, as did Shane.

But then something unexpected happen. A sharp, cool, piercing sensation penetrated Phillip's flesh. He gasped, quickly turning to see his assailant. It was a Walker, holding a knife. 


	7. "Beyond The Whispers"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alpha, Omega, Beta...

 

"This can't be right," Phillip said before pulling himself away from the three-inch blade.

Blood gushed from the wound, but Phillip was still able to deliver a jaw-crushing kick to the Walker's face.

Buster attacked the Walker, who stabbed Phillip, then the Walker did something Phillip never saw a Walker do before. It screamed: "NO!!!! FUCK!"

All bets were off when Walkers started using weapons and screaming obscenities. Phillip retrieved his two Berettas and began firing. Shane did not witness the stabbing, but he could hear the flying bullets from behind. He had all but disposed of his Walkers, but he could see that Phillip was struggling with his cluster. Even worst, Phillip was wounded.

There were too many to fight, and Phillip was injured. He saw no reason why all three of these souls needed to perish today. Buster could run faster than any Walker. He was trained to never let them surround him, and only fight them if Austin or Phillip was doing the same. This world had gotten darker ever since the dead began to walk again. But this dog may have a better chance than these wounded humans.

"Buster, GO AWAY! RUN! GO! GO AWAY!" demanded Phillip. "RUN! RUN!"

The dog hesitated, but he knew this command as well. It meant to retreat. Buster nervously abandoned his master, the dog's training overriding his canine instincts.

Shane could barely keep up with what was going on and managed his own cluster of Walkers.

"Shit!" Shane hissed before switching the fire axe for his handgun and firing a chain of bullets at the emerging Walkers.

All the bodies fell, including Phillip's. Shane quickly ran over to help his friend,

"Are you bit? Did one of those things get you!" Shane asked, his voice desperate and frantic.

"No, one of them stabbed me, I think?" Phillip replied dryly.

"What stabbed you? How? Just lay back and let me see."

Phillip complied with Shane's request, too drain to argue or to retort sarcastically. Phillip was all out of jokes and hope. Shane inspected the cut. It was quarter of an inch deep and bled heavily.

"It doesn't look that bad. I gotta get it cleaned up," declared Shane.

"How the hell would you know?" Phillip replied, doubting his medical competence.

"Austin didn't just teach you a few things about stitching people up," Shane said as he collected his first aid kit. "Contrary to popular belief, I was actually paying attention."

"Why are you still here, Shane?" Phillip asked again, his voice dripped with gloom. "I'm wounded. We know what happens when people are wounded and they're _out here_. They either die and kill you, or they slow you down and get you killed. Either way, death is the common denominator."

"Can you do me a solid and pipe _fucking_ down. I get it. You're hurt. So am I. That doesn't give you permission to ' _opt out_.'"

Thoughts of Dr. Jenner at the CDC entered Shane's mind. He understood the despair that could lead to one giving up and accepting one's "fate" so to speak. But Shane wasn't one to quit, and neither was Phillip.

"Here I am, cleaning your wound, and you are still bitching about me leaving. What kind of an asshole do you take me for, huh? I am going to patch your ungrateful, whiny, Yankee ass up, and then we're going to find some shelter because I'm expecting some scattered showers.

"And I better not hear another fucking peep about me leaving you or you just dying. What the hell is your problem, man? That kid, with his last bit of life, saved _ours!_ You don't just get to give up after someone does that for you. He gave his last for us to keep on going. He didn't just lay down and die. Maybe you could learn something from him."

Phillip surprised Shane again. He didn't argue. He didn't mope. He merely turned his head and conceded. Shane decided not to lay anymore pressure on Phillip. He was more sensitive than Shane had thought all along. Shane understood now why Austin was so protective of Phillip.

Phillip squirmed as Shane finished cleaning and dressing the wound, and then they were on their feet again.

***

"He fired those two shots. They both hit one guy," Shane explained to Phillip, who he helped walk though the forest. Shane wrapped Phillip's left arm around his shoulder and stabilized his waist as he limped though the night. "I took out the second guy with a knife to the neck."

"Always go for the neck," chuckled Phillip.

"I take it you were the one behind the terrorist attack back there?"

"Well, you know, I took an opportunity," confessed Phillip.

"That kid, he saved our lives," Shane reiterated. "I'm missing him already. At least I would have someone else to help me carry your sorry carcass."

The two men shared a quick laugh. They both knew that Henry would be laughing with them, and probably was, wherever he was.

Death didn't define you. It didn't erase who you were or what you meant to people. Death was merely the closing chapter of a book. Most of the interesting stuff happened in the middle anyway.

As the men headed deeper into the forest, they could hear the groaning of Walkers.

"Shit, we've got company."

The pocket of Walkers consisted of about twelve, more than enough to be lethal.

"Oh, bullocks," moaned Phillip.

"Can you fight?" asked Shane.

"Don't have much of a choice, do I? Because they ain't taking me."

"That's what I want to hear," Shane said, pumped.

Shane released Phillip from his arms and retrieved his gun. Phillip retrieved Henry's machete. He may have been injured, but he had Henry's fighting spirit with him.

"Now!" Shane said, preparing to charge.

A chain of rapid-firing silenced bullets popped, drawing Phillip and Shane's attention. The Walkers were mowed down by two chains of bullets. The darkness obscured the faces of the two figures that had fired and saved their lives. Through the darkness, Buster ran over to Phillip.

"Whoa there, daddy got stabbed earlier. No jumping, please," Phillip said, wincing as the dog attempted to jovially pounce him.

"Dogs don't fire guns. Come on out!" Shane demanded, his gun still pointing at the figures covered by shadows.

Slowly the two shadows stepped forward directly into the lunar light. By the light of the the full moon, Carl and Enid's faces became visible.

Shane's face softens when he saw Carl. "Carl, you...you did this?"

Shane and Carl quickly embraced, crying together. Enid, Phillip and Buster watched from the sidelines. The moon's intensity began to fade as the rising sun cracked the night's sky. And a closure to the dark opened with the promise of hope.

"Let's go home," Carl says to Shane. "We need you."

Carl noticed that Henry was missing and that Phillip was using his machete as a makeshift cane. He didn't need to ask what happened. He already knew. Shane and Carl both took one of Phillip's arms, and the five walked towards the breaking day horizon, towards Alexandria.


	8. "In Memory of Anton"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something personal i wanted to share...

"PLEASE LISTEN..."

 

 

## In Memory of Anton

 

Anton Yelchin  
1989-2016

 

 

The picture above is the last picture that actor Anton Yelchin took before his passing. I selected Anton to be the actor in my motion FanFic because he was incredibly talented . *****SPOILER***** I knew that in this one-off fanfic that i was going to kill Henry. i knew this for about two weeks when i entered the #HappensNext #Contest that Henry would go. I held off writing the scene on June 18 2016, i was too busy avoiding my Wattpad responsibilities. I was occupied the entire week and even that Saturday, but i promised my self on Sunday, i would complete the entire fanfic. That sunday was June 19th, 2016, the day actor Anton Yelchin died. 

After his death, there was an outpouring of grief online, from celebrities, fans and bloggers. The main consensus about Anton was his work ethic. He put 100 percent in every project, he gave in to his creativity and allowed it to blossom into art. In his short life he told me one thing, I WAS SLACKING!

I put all my energy into completeing the story, but i didn't want to just throw anything together. I wanted Henry's last scene, IE Anton's last scene in this story, to be beautiful. In the end the fanfic was more about Henry, an OC, and not Shane, the main character.

I, like most, admire Anton's work casually from afar, but i am glad that i was exposed to his talents. JJ Abrams said it best,   _"You were kind. You were funny as hell, and supremely talented. And you weren't here nearly long enough. Missing you..."_

I ran across "Back To Front" by UK Artist Eliza Doolittle in 2012, during that time i was 22 and I realized my mortality in a way i never did before. There wasn't a triggering event for this epiphany, i just knew. I wondered about faith, religion, and the after life. Strangely this song made me feel like there had to be something after this. I dedicate this fanfic to Anton and his spirit. #NoMoreSlacking.

 

 

 

 


End file.
